Bootle Earn Late Point At Runcorn Linnets

By Brendan Doyle

Photos: Kate Tencza

A Lewis Earl equaliser in the eighty third minute earns Bootle a late point at The APEC Taxis Stadium.

Early on in the game Ben Hodkinson received a ball over the top which he got a great first touch to and was through on goal despite a pull on his shirt, but the linesman’s flag was up in which was a correct call. Sean Miller managed to escape from two Bootle players who had him surrounded and pinged a fantastic ball over to the left flank to Noah Roberts who was in a promising position to play a decent ball into the box, but his first touch let him down and the ball bounced out for a throw in.

Early used substitute Lewis Earl stepped up to take a free kick just over thirty yards out which he struck towards goal and with the help of the wind, the ball swerved centre of the goal which allowed Runcorn Linnets keeper Yusuf Mersin to get a finger tip to it and push it onto the crossbar, a great save in all fairness. The first half would end 0-0 in which either side had no major chance in open play with the two goalkeepers not having much to do at all.

Just as Bootle seemed to enter the second half with more energy and intensity looking the better side out of the two, Runcorn Linnets took the lead by way of a goal from Noah Roberts after tapping in a ball delivered low from out wide by Sean Miller, a goal scored against the run of play which seen Bootle go a goal down early in the second half. Nearly ten minutes later, Bootle thought they responded with an equaliser as Jack McGowan hit home and low driven ball from Xavier Smith but the linesman flag questionably went up for offside.

As The Bucks kept pushing and pushing for an equaliser, Ben Hodkinson cut in on his left foot and hit the ball low to the far corner which went past Yusuf Marsin but came off the woodwork, a great effort by Hodkinson but Bootle were once again denied by the woodwork. Eventually, Bootle did get their equaliser as unmarked Lewis Earl brought down the ball from a Xavier Smith corner and stuck it into the far corner.

Despite late efforts, the match finished 1-1 and Bootle were made to settle for a point, I’m sure many involved that day seen the result as two points dropped rather than a point gained due to the fact that the play off positions seem further away with their being only three games left and we current sit seven points away from them.